Hi all,

I hope this blog finds you all safe and dry! What would a big storm be without a rescue blog....

This is the sky as I came into the Aquarium's Animal Care Center (ACC) this morning. Just after this photo, the clouds dumped their entire holdings on me!


The Aquarium has an extensive storm protocol to maintain the highest level of care for all the animals in our collection and in the Rescue Department. Below you can see two of my favorite components of our emergency preparations.

A powerful generator stands plugged in and ready to power all our life support systems in our ACC. So far we have not lost power at the ACC, we will switch to power from this generator if we do.


The photo below shows a flood gate in place in front of the doors into our necropsy laboratory. Doesn't look like the storm will put these flood gates to use...That's fine with me!


Below are photos of our storm team. Each department has designated storm staff, these are the lucky folks for Hurricane Irene.

Katie Kodzis, from our Animal Health Department, prepares to help me administer medications to the loggerhead.


Matt Cotter, from our Facilities Department, makes rounds of our life support systems. Matt is responsible for operating all our life support systems at the ACC.


Below Jordon Depenbrock, from our Fishes Department, was on hand to feed and care for all the fishes in the ACC. At the time of this photo I found him over in work area - Maybe he's building an ark...If so I think he's gonna need more wood...


A few last photos of my hurricane day in the ACC here in Quincy, MA. The photo in the left shows some turtle boxes getting a "natural rinse" with Irene's rain water...now that's recycling! Photo on the right shows how nice and quiet it is in the ACC despite the weather outside.


Stay safe everyone!

-Connie

As another BUSY seal pupping season has come to an end, the fine folks here at the New England Aquarium’s Department of Rescue and Rehabilitation thought it necessary to touch on a few points to bring the season to pleasant closure. First we will review some basic facts about some of our resident marine mammals, then we’ll touch on some key points to take away from this busy season we’ve all had.

First things first, what types of seals will New Englanders, and tourists, most commonly see during these summer months?


Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina)
Photo credit: Patti Linnehan

 
Gray seal (Halichoerus grypus)
Photo credit: Bill Schley

Even though there is a strong bond between mother and pup, harbor seals for the most part do not show affinity to be in close contact with other harbor seals. However, during molting season which is between spring and fall, they are often found congregating together on sandy and rocky areas in addition to various kinds of intertidal zones. They can be found sleeping, scratching, lounging, as well as scanning the area for potential threats of predators. It is common and natural to find a seal pup alone out of the water hauled up on shore. It is here that the young pup, usually still nursing, rests as it waits patiently for its mother to return from feeding.

 
Mom/pup seal pair nursing on a beach
Image from habitatjournal.blogspot.com

Harbor seals will nurse their pups for roughly four weeks, and after that are abruptly weaned from their mothers. At this point, the seals are left to fend for themselves. This is a very stressful time for these young seals, and why it is especially important to allow them to rest undisturbed!

Approaching a seal, regardless of age, places the animal and the approaching person in danger. Stress to these creatures puts them at greater risk of prolonged illness and injury. If you should happen to see a seal resting on shore, it is important to stay at least 150 feet away. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 states that anyone is in violation of this Act if their presence changes the behavior in any way of a marine mammal. We therefore recommend people to stay at least 150 feet away, and depending on the behavior, even further.

 
The Aquarium's Rescue and Rehabilitation Dept. sign that we use in the field.

The strandings of whales, porpoises and dolphins should not be confused with seals coming on shore. The response methods used for different marine mammals varies according with species. For instance, responding to a stranded dolphin or other cetacean, which should never come ashore, will be very different than our response to a seal, which commonly rest on shore.

 
Photo credit: Robin Foley

This young harbor seal, seen above, is resting on a rocky shore. It does not appear to be in need of assistance. The best approach is to monitor the seal at a safe distance. There is no need to intervene, since that will cause unneeded stress.



The above picture shows beach goers sitting and congregating TOO CLOSE to a resting seal pup. What these children and most people do not understand is that their presence puts this pup in danger. If this pup were still nursing, mom would not approach if people or other predators were present. Mom will often abandon her young when danger is present and if that happens, it will lead to the pup not getting the nourishment needed and possibly cause its demise. The physical presence of humans, any physical contact or placing yourself between the animal and its perceived escape route back to the water are all very stressful situations for these animals. If there are pets present, that too will contribute to increasing the seals stress and put its survival at risk.



For the safety of beach goers and their pets, it's important not to come in contact with these animals. Not only is it illegal to make physical contact, but seals are also capable of transmitting disease to other mammals they come in contact with. This includes dogs as well as people!

 
Photo credit: Laurie Gienapp

The harbor seal pictured above is aware of the person taking its picture. The photographer is quite a distance from the seal, and the seal appears to be relaxed based on the “banana posture” of its body.



This photographer is TOO CLOSE to this young gray seal. The footprints surrounding this animal are an indication that people were interacting with this animal. Gray seals are known to act aggressively, and they will often growl and vocalize when they feel threatened, as shown in the picture above.

NOW FOR A FEW TAKE HOME MESSAGES! • Seals rest on shore. This is perfectly normal behavior for all seals, young and old. Wouldn’t you be tired too if you were swimming in the ocean all day?
• While they are resting, they need to be left alone! Do not try to feed, touch, or pose with these animals for pictures. Remember, harassment is anything that changes the natural behavior of the seal.
• If a seal truly is injured, don’t touch it or try to help it! Call the Marine Animal Hotline immediately.
• Keep the WILD in WILDlife. Enjoy the presence of these native animals from a distance.

This blog was created by our wonderful Wednesday volunteers, Diane and Deidre. Thanks to them, and to all the rest of the volunteers for their hard work with the Rescue Department!

Last week we released 10 sea turtles into Nantucket Sound. We attached satellite tags to two of the green sea turtles, 'Ophelia' and 'Cassiopeia', so that we would be able to track their progress. I thought you might like a little more information about the turtles you are following and hear their story. You can also adopt these turtles on the same website you can track them. See the links below their maps to take a look!


'Ophelia'

'Ophelia' stranded on November 13th, 2010 in Sandwich, MA. She weighed 3.6 pounds when she first arrived and had a carapace length of 24.1cm. At release, she weighed almost 14 pounds and measured 37.4cm. No wonder she was on a diet! We actually had to limit her food intake so she didn't gain weight too fast. She ate a diet of herring, squid, and of course lettuce. Green sea turtles eat vegetation in the wild so we supplement their diet with lettuce. 'Ophelia' took a while to finally like her veggies, but she came around eventually.


Above Left: 'Ophelia' on 11/13/10 during the admit exam at the Animal Care Center. Right: 'Ophelia' during her exit exam. BIG difference!



  The above map shows where 'Ophelia' has traveled since her release. She still seems to be in the area around Monomoy. You can follow her progress as well as adopt her here.


'Cassiopeia'

'Cassiopeia' stranded on November 16, 2010 in Sagamore, MA. She weighed 4 pounds when she arrived in Quincy and had a carapace length of 24.7cm. At release, she weighed 14.6 pounds and was 37.8cm long. As you can imagine, this turtle was on a diet too! 'Cassiopeia' was probably the most photogenic turtle we had this season. She was in a tank with a window, and she would always come right up to the glass for some camera time... or maybe she was hoping for some food.

 
Above left: 'Cassiopeia' during her intake exam in November. Right: 'Cassiopeia' during her exit exam before release. She was a good looking turtle and she knew it!

 
The above map show's the track of 'Cassiopeia'. She seems to be heading the exact direction we were hoping for and will likely bypass the opening to Long Island Sound. You can read more about why we did a boat release in my last post. If you would like to follow 'Cassiopeia' and possibly adopt her, you can do that here.

I hope you enjoy following these turtles on seaturtle.org. We are also hoping to create and post some more detailed maps for you to look at, so check back for that!

~Kerry

It was a perfect evening for a turtle release. Ten sea turtles, 5 green sea turtles and 5 Kemp's ridleys, returned to the ocean after 9 months of rehabilition at our Animal Care Center in Quincy. The turtles, all named after astronomical terms, were placed in the water from a boat and swam off. With the full moon to the east and a beautiful sunset to the west, it was the perfect setting for these animals to return to their home.